Even a short visit to Kanpur, an industrial city in northern India, is enough to show that there is no respite yet for the Ganga from massive pollution despite the much-trumpeted Namami Gange initiative, the Narendra Modi administration’s programme to clean up the holy river.

Despite a plethora of government schemes, initiatives and campaigns, and various court orders, untreated sewage and toxic industrial effluents continue to make their way into the Ganga. The fact that the river is worshipped and revered by millions has not helped the cause of keeping it clean.

There’s an overpowering stench at Dabka Ghat on the banks of the river in Jajmau area of Kanpur, which is compounded by the jarring sight of blackish-grey sludge of chemicals flowing into the river. The eerie silence from the slow moving sludge having replaced the gurgling of clear flowing water adds to the deplorable scenario.

At Dabka Ghat a drain regularly carries toxic chemicals from almost 100 tanneries that are located close to the Ganga and offloads them directly into the main channel of the river without any check, adding continuously to the already existing high water pollution.

“Fish often die in this stretch of the Ganga because of the water pollution. Biodiversity has been affected. Earlier we used to see peacocks here, but now they cannot be seen,” 19-year-old Sarvesh Kumar, a resident of Jajmau who often visits the riverbank at Dabka Ghat, told indiaclimatedialogue.net. “The water that we get for drinking has also become very saline and has turned light yellow.”

Kanpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, is famous for its leather industry, with nearly 400 tanneries housed in the suburbs of Jajmau alone. The industry has become a bane for the Ganga as it contaminates it severely with a heavy load of toxic chemicals and heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium, lead, arsenic and cobalt, all of which have severe health implications.

A tannery unit at Jajmau. Image Credit: Juhi Chaudhary

How Ganga Action Plan failed

The drain at Dabka Ghat is just one of the four main drains that carry toxic tannery wastewater from around 400 tanneries of Jajmau. Under the Ganga Action Plan phase 1 in 1986 (the oldest Ganga clean-up scheme), these drains were connected to the four intermediate pumping stations that pump water to a 36 MLD (million litres daily) common effluent treatment plant at Wajidpur in the city. This plant has a capacity to treat just 9 MLD of industrial wastewater and 27 MLD of sewage.

Due to a lack of vision, the infrastructure that was put in place in 1986 catered to just 175 tanneries in Kanpur and can currently treat a maximum of 9 MLD tannery effluents. But the number of tanneries has more than doubled since then. Currently, up to 50 MLD of toxic tannery wastewater is generated daily, according to Central Leather Research Institute, out of which only 9 MLD can be treated. This implies that almost 40 MLD of industrial effluents does not even reach the intermediate pumping stations for treatment and is dumped directly into the Ganga through overflowing drains like the one at Dabka Ghat.

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It is estimated that Kanpur generates 450 MLD of sewage every day as well but the existing infrastructure can only treat around 160-170 MLD. The remainder goes to the river directly.

Rakesh Jaiswal, founder and executive secretary of non-profit Eco Friends, has been monitoring the Ganga for nearly 30 years in Kanpur. He told indiaclimatedialogue.net that there has been no new functional infrastructure that has been created after phase one of Ganga Action Plan despite the launch of phase 2 of the plan and subsequently, Namami Gange.

“We dubbed Ganga Action Plan as a failed programme. All the treatment plants that are functioning currently were raised under Ganga Action Plan phase 1. And then, work started under phase 2 and other schemes but none of that was ever completed. A 210 MLD sewage treatment plant is still under a trial run and is not even getting sufficient sewage,” he said. “What is worse is that the entire sewage of the Sisamau drain (the biggest sewage drain in Kanpur) was to be treated by this 210 sewage treatment plant,” unfortunately the infrastructure has not been created to make the sewage from the drain flow into this huge plant, and half of the drain’s contents will continue to flow into the Ganga.

So Kanpur both has a huge cleaning infrastructure lying idle, and drain flowing into the river – the worst of both worlds.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an oath to clean the Ganga and launched a huge programme called Namami Gange, the issue of Ganga’s revival came under limelight again but environmentalists are not convinced.

“Initially we were also very hopeful. Now, the central government is thinking to augment the treatment capacity of tannery wastewater and construct a 20 MLD common effluent treatment plant and 5 MLD sewage treatment plant in Jajmau area to separate tannery wastewater from sewage,” said Jaiswal. “But the thing is that it is only being talked about. Nothing has happened on the ground yet.”

Passing the buck

The current 36 MLD common effluent treatment plant is run in partnership between government agencies and tannery owners, which has only complicated matters. Both the costs and the treatment operations are divided. The tannery owners are required to give primary treatment before releasing the toxic water, while the government is responsible for the functioning of the plant. This often leads to both the parties shrugging off their responsibility and blaming each other for the pollution mess.

“I think these industries are the polluters and so they should own the responsibility of treating their waste,” said Jaiswal. “It should be made an independent system and it should be made part of industries. Why should the government own the responsibility to clean their waste?”

Time and again, there have been talks of shifting tannery units to another location, but leather manufacturers say they are being harassed without any fault of theirs.

“Every tannery has a primary treatment unit and we don’t release water directly into the river. We pay nearly Rs 14 lakh ($ 21,000) every month to run the common effluent treatment plant,” Qazi Naiyer Jamal, General Secretary of the Small Tanners Association, Jajmau, told indiaclimatedialogue.net. “The focus rather should be on the other 49 drains that empty sewage into the river.”

During a visit to an intermediate pumping station, Adarsh Pandey, an official of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (the state’s water supply and sewage disposal authority), found many problems. “We get a lot of trash along with the tannery waste and the mesh of the pumping station keeps getting choked,” Pandey said. “We have to depute a person around the clock to keep clearing the mesh, which is very tedious.”

Once an intermediate pumping station breaks down or underperforms, the whole chain gets further affected right till the common effluent treatment plant.

On visiting the 36 MLD common effluent treatment plant which has the capacity to treat 9 MLD of tannery wastewater, officials said they were getting just 5-6 MLD of tannery wastewater from the four intermediate pumping stations. They also pointed out that the plant is quite old and is corroding at several places.

Multiple impacts

Pollution from the leather industry is not only polluting the Ganga but is impacting the groundwater and agricultural fields as well. One, there is no proper disposal system for the solid sludge that is generated during the treatment process and so it is often dumped in the open which can leach into the soil, and from there to the groundwater. Second, unorganised manufacturing units of cheap glue and chicken feed are mushrooming on the banks of the river. These use the waste from tanneries as raw material. These units are not just contaminating the soil and air but are also taking over agricultural fields of the local people.

At Piyondi village in Jajmau, due to heavy pollution, farm productivity has come down drastically. “We used to have rose plantations but due to polluted water and chromium in soil, roses have vanished from here in the last 15-20 years. Wheat productivity has also dropped by half,” said Omprakash Yadav, a farmer from the village.

While there is a need for the government to act urgently, Jaiswal says it is important that we move beyond sewage treatment plants to tackle the problem of water pollution. He says that under Namami Gange, more emphasis should be on restoring the ecological flow of the river, which is crucial for diluting toxins.

“In the upstream, all the original Himalayan water is diverted into various canals. I am not sure if even few drops of real Ganga water reach Kanpur. We have hardly any water or flow in the river in Kanpur during the dry months. So pollution is much more visible,” he said. “There hasn’t been any change or any improvement on that.”

Ten awesome TV shows to get over your post-GoT blues

With those withdrawal symptoms kicking in, all you need is a good rebound show.

Hangovers tend to have a debilitating effect on various human faculties, but a timely cure can ease that hollow feeling generally felt in the pit of the stomach. The Game of Thrones Season 7 finale has left us with that similar empty feeling, worsened by an official statement on the 16-month-long wait to witness The Great War. That indeed is a long time away from our friends Dany, Jon, Queen C and even sweet, sweet Podrick. While nothing can quite replace the frosty thrill of Game of Thrones, here’s a list of awesome shows, several having won multiple Emmy awards, that are sure to vanquish those nasty withdrawal symptoms:

1. Billions

There is no better setting for high stakes white collar crime than the Big Apple. And featuring a suited-up Paul Giamatti going head-to-head with the rich and ruthless Damien Lewis in New York, what’s not to like? Only two seasons young, this ShowTime original series promises a wolf-of-wall-street style showcase of power, corruption and untold riches. Billions is a great high-octane drama option if you want to keep the momentum going post GoT.

2. Westworld

What do you get when the makers of the Dark Knight Trilogy and the studio behind Game of Thrones collaborate to remake a Michael Crichton classic? Westworld brings together two worlds: an imagined future and the old American West, with cowboys, gun slingers - the works. This sci-fi series manages to hold on to a dark secret by wrapping it with the excitement and adventure of the wild west. Once the plot is unwrapped, the secret reveals itself as a genius interpretation of human nature and what it means to be human. Regardless of what headspace you’re in, this Emmy-nominated series will absorb you in its expansive and futuristic world. If you don’t find all of the above compelling enough, you may want to watch Westworld simply because George RR Martin himself recommends it! Westworld will return for season 2 in the spring of 2018.

3. Big Little Lies

It’s a distinct possibility that your first impressions of this show, whether you form those from the trailer or opening sequence, will make you think this is just another sun-kissed and glossy Californian drama. Until, the dark theme of BLL descends like an eerie mist, that is. With the serious acting chops of Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman as leads, this murder mystery is one of a kind. Adapted from author Liane Moriarty’s book, this female-led show has received accolades for shattering the one-dimensional portrayal of women on TV. Despite the stellar star cast, this Emmy-nominated show wasn’t easy to make. You should watch Big Little Lies if only for Reese Witherspoon’s long struggle to get it off the ground.

4. The Night of

The Night Of is one of the few crime dramas featuring South Asians without resorting to tired stereotypes. It’s the kind of show that will keep you in its grip with its mysterious plotline, have you rooting for its characters and leave you devastated and furious. While the narrative revolves around a murder and the mystery that surrounds it, its undertones raises questions on racial, class and courtroom politics. If you’re a fan of True Detective or Law & Order and are looking for something serious and thoughtful, look no further than this series of critical acclaim.

5. American Horror Story

As the name suggests, AHS is a horror anthology for those who can stomach some gore and more. In its 6 seasons, the show has covered a wide range of horror settings like a murder house, freak shows, asylums etc. and the latest season is set to explore cults. Fans of Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange are in for a treat, as are Lady Gaga’s fans. If you pride yourself on not being weak of the heart, give American Horror Story a try.

6. Empire

At its heart, Empire is a simple show about a family business. It just so happens that this family business is a bit different from the sort you are probably accustomed to, because this business entails running a record label, managing artistes and when push comes to shove, dealing with rivals in a permanent sort of manner. Empire treads some unique ground as a fairly violent show that also happens to be a musical. Lead actors Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard certainly make it worth your while to visit this universe, but it’s the constantly evolving interpersonal relations and bevy of cameo appearances that’ll make you stay. If you’re a fan of hip hop, you’ll enjoy a peek into the world that makes it happen. Hey, even if you aren’t one, you might just grow fond of rap and hip hop.

7. Modern Family

When everything else fails, it’s comforting to know that the family will always be there to lift your spirits and keep you chuckling. And by the family we mean the Dunphys, Pritchetts and Tuckers, obviously. Modern Family portrays the hues of familial bonds with an honesty that most family shows would gloss over. Eight seasons in, the show’s characters like Gloria and Phil Dunphy have taken on legendary proportions in their fans’ minds as they navigate their relationships with relentless bumbling humour. If you’re tired of irritating one-liners or shows that try too hard, a Modern Family marathon is in order. This multiple-Emmy-winning sitcom is worth revisiting, especially since the brand new season 9 premiers on 28th September 2017.

8. The Deuce

Headlined by James Franco and Maggi Gyllenhaal, The Deuce is not just about the dazzle of the 1970s, with the hippest New York crowd dancing to disco in gloriously flamboyant outfits. What it IS about is the city’s nooks and crannies that contain its underbelly thriving on a drug epidemic. The series portrays the harsh reality of New York city in the 70s following the legalisation of the porn industry intertwined with the turbulence caused by mob violence. You’ll be hooked if you are a fan of The Wire and American Hustle, but keep in mind it’s grimmer and grittier. The Deuce offers a turbulent ride which will leave you wanting more.

9. Dexter

In case you’re feeling vengeful, you can always get the spite out of your system vicariously by watching Dexter, our favourite serial killer. This vigilante killer doesn’t hide behind a mask or a costume, but sneaks around like a criminal, targeting the bad guys that have slipped through the justice system. From its premier in 2006 to its series finale in 2013, the Emmy-nominated Michael C Hall, as Dexter, has kept fans in awe of the scientific precision in which he conducts his kills. For those who haven’t seen the show, the opening credits give an accurate glimpse of how captivating the next 45 minutes will be. If it’s been a while since you watched in awe as the opening credits rolled, maybe you should revisit the world’s most loved psychopath for nostalgia’s sake.

Available starting October

10. Rome

If you’re still craving an epic drama with extensive settings and a grandiose plot and sub-plots, Rome, co-produced by HBO and BBC, is where your search stops. Rome is a historical drama that takes you through an overwhelming journey of Ancient Rome’s transition from a republic to an empire. And when it comes to tastes, this series provides the similar full-bodied flavour that you’ve grown to love about Game of Thrones. There’s a lot to take away for those who grew up quoting Julius Caesar, and for those looking for a realistic depiction of the legendary gladiators. If you’re a history buff, give this Emmy-winning show a try.

For your next obsession, Hotstar Premium has you covered with its wide collection of the most watched shows in the world. Apart from the ones we’ve recommended, Indian viewers can now easily watch other universally loved shows such as Silicon Valley and Prison Break, and movies including all titles from the Marvel and Disney universe. So take control of your life again post the Game of Thrones gloom and sign up for the Hotstar Premium membership here.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Hotstar and not by the Scroll editorial team.